photo challenge

Go into your 9th photo folder and pick out the 7th picture, in honor of today's date of course. Share!

I know, gtcha wondering just how exciting the rest of our photos are.

me myself and I

me : had half my thyroid our last Thursday evening... one week has passed now

myself : had to accept I could not do everything I wanted - care for kids, clean house, eat

I : feel a lot better now.

Just yesterday I began to feel like myself. Today I worked half a day, snuck in a business meeting which I may add involved a VERY delicious cup-cake (yay me!). Then I came home, had a snack and a rest, and played yes PLAYED with the baby! How fun. Hmmn... toddler really I guess. Does that officially change when they are one? or begin to toddle? he does toddle. Super cute toddle in fact!

Anyways... I FEEL BETTER!!!!

I was surprised at how lowsy I actually felt. Maybe from going under- I just could not snap out of it. I was able to cut out the strong pain killers after the first day, and still I felt dopey. Dizzy and pukey actually. I thought it would vanish when I moved onto plain tylenol - but nope... still there. I never did vomit, but felt like I was fighting it. I still feel like someone is choking me, but it is starting to diminish.

My incision is just wee ( still covered with some steri-strip) and maybe an inch and a half at most. This pleases me. It itches. This does not please me.

I can shower. This pleases me. I need to stay out of water, like a pool. This does not please me. Two invites to great outdoor pools since surgery. SIGH

I lived through it. This quite pleases me. And life goes on.

Will get thyroid levels tested in three weeks. Then we'll see what is next.

I am blessed.

Busy Me...

Have had a couple super busy yet wonderful weeks!

Had the kids in a nature camp half days last week - that was well worth it! They really enjoyed it, and aside from holidays/trips, they are free of commitments for now. Yay us!

Had the absolute pleasure of being present for my new nephews birth - I can see how that is addicting! Such a high! What a gift that was they gave me.

Back at work a bit... Street Sale and Art Walk was this weekend, so that was busy!

Lost my cable for my laptop, using husbands... really REALLY need the files on mine for the postcard info... must find it!

Flipped and painted the kids rooms. Rooms look great, but there is a plethora of forgotten toys in the hall and my room... and we have not traded their closets yet...

See? It's been too busy to do it!

Cleaned many toilets and tubs this week... never ending....

Bought some new shelves to address some of the problems.

Took a great workshop on composting - must quit putting things into garbarator - since I cannot even spell the word garburator... see?

Wishing I had a magic wand....

Or at least an easier time parting with things...

Love using these three little dots....

Bet they have a real name....

Anyone know it?

baby spiders

We keep finding these huge clusters of the cutest wee baby spiders... soooo many! So far we have found three and a half around our house. I say " a half" because one group keeps splitting and regrouping... hmmm....

Kids are thrilled of course and keep checking on them. With the recent rain they wanted to "save" them, but it all turned out okay. The babes pictured here have "moved on" already. Likely to my neighbour who does not like spiders.

We think they are orb spiders, but hard to see.

In my life, I have never come across this sight. Quite the treat!

Square Foot Garden

I broke a few rules of the square foot garden - one being you should be able to access it from all around.  I can access/reach most of it without "climbing" in.  Will need to just for peas and beans, but that's not for a while.   There is a space between fence and raised bed with sweetpeas that are a couple inches up now, and the back has delphiniums, hollyhocks and poppies - we'll see what grows.  Not much sun down between them.  Thought it'd be stunning to have all the flowers behind.  We'll see!   Kids filled planter pots with all kinds of seeds, will move then to deck as soon as they do not need such babying and frequent watering.  PLanted dill, irish bells, nastursiums, poppies, and other assorted mysteries.

Spinach on the left front here, with peppers behind then peas.  Centre row I think is carrots at front, then maybe beets then the Magic Beans (came in a magic bag as gift to son - they will be a surprise!  Cannot say for sure without reading marker what is next.  Maybe rainbow chard?

Check out the corn in the barrel!  It is loving it so far!  I did cheat and plant this already at about a six inch height, but it's well over a foot now - or 30 cm :)

Chenille Embroidered Blanket

Well - just in the nick of time (before the baby turned ONE!) I finally finished the baby's blanket!  Now keep in mind , the "experts" recommend you do not actually use a blanket on the baby until they are older - so in that regard this is just on time!

Both Grandmas (Nanny) did a square of embroidery, and two were done by yours truly!

I am quite pleased with it!  What do you think?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We tried a new approach to our raised bed this year. We had to move it's location on account of the dogs...

and giant holes in the lawn...anyways!  The beautiful garden is now at the front of our yard, away from the pups who have their own huge run area filled with pea gravel and the kids play gym they like. (yes, they even go down the slide sometimes!)

The lawn is looking fantastic, providing enough oxygen for my family for the year (hehe).

The garden is being approached in the "square foot gardening" method.  Dividing your garden into plots and planting this way instead of rows increases your yield alot.  I think (read :hope) it cuts down on space available for weeds.

I read on line not to use soil mix, but vermiculite and peat and?? sand maybe??  I cannot remember what else, but alas I already had lovely soil, so we kept with it.  I did find some sites where people had success with soil as well.

Here are some images of the kids helping plant.  It is already growing, and as soon as the sun shines I'll get some picks of it growing.  So far so good.

One planting peas and beans, one writing the markers out.  TEAMWORK!!!!

I love this sweet baby's face when he got to put his hands into that soil!!!  HAPPINESS!!!!